GTC sponsors Rotolight collaborate with Sekonic on LED colour accuracy

22 August 2015

Alison Chapman

Sekonic Corporation's Light Meter International Sales Department has announced a unique collaboration with GTC sponsors Rotolight. A world leader in studio and on-location LED lighting solutions, Rotolight set out earlier this year to create a new advanced on-camera LED system called NEO. Using the new Sekonic C-700 SpectroMaster extensively in their phosphor chemistry design process, Rotolight was able to develop an advanced formulation, which delivers exceptional colour rendering results (AccuColour™ LED lighting technology) in the award-winning Rotolight ANOVA and the latest NEO LED luminaires.

Sekonic SpectroMaster C-700

Sekonic Corporation, global specialists in engineering and manufacturing of precisiondesign and advanced technology metering systems, recently launched the sophisticated C-700 SpectroMaster series gaining immediate worldwide interest. Optimized to measure LED lighting in addition to all types of light sources, the C-700 measures, analyses and reports the true colour temperature and specular characteristics of a given light source including LED, HMI, Ttungsten, fluorescent, electronic flash and natural light spectrums.

When Rod Gammons (Chairman and Inventor of the Rotolight Products) discovered the Sekonic C-700, he knew he had found the tool he needed to accurately measure and monitor his development of the AccuColor™ LED Lighting System. In a recent online video interview Rod stated: “NEO achieves outstanding colour reproduction with an overall CRI (colour rendering index) of Ra=95.6, skin tones at CRI=99 and TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) of 91. NEO’s exceptional performance has been designed for today’s cinematographers, DOPs and photographers, who are capturing both HD and 4K, and demand the greatest control and accuracy of colour. Now this type of control is possible with great tools like the Rotolight NEO and Sekonic C-700."

Measuring colour

Colour reproduction is paramount for both photographers and videographers and, with today’s emerging new light sources, the ability to measure them and accurately control them is more critical than ever (see more about this in our TLCI section). Utilising lighting systems that offer true colour results enables photographers and videographers to focus more on the art and less on the technical side of the business. However, with so many claims from lighting manufacturers that their light sources are the best, it’s a daunting task to separate fact from fiction. Now, with the release of the Sekonic C-700, and working with colour-accurate lights like Rotolight NEO, it is possible to achieve true colour results on set, quickly and accurately, with ease.

Stefan Lange, DoP and Visual FX Artist (Batman / Notting Hill / seven Bond movies) was recently interviewed on set at Sony's Digital Motion Picture Centre in Pinewood Studios: ”Throughout my career I have measured light with Sekonic equipment. The new Sekonic C-700 SpectroMaster takes the guesswork out of measuring colour temperature on set. Using the clever graphic interface of the C-700 I can easily read and manage the array of hues in a scene and then dial in the colour to my Rotolight NEOs and ANOVAs. It’s a great combination. The C-700 is really valuable in a controlled studio environment – priceless on a ‘run & gun’ location when the camera just can’t tell you everything you need to know.

Rotolight NEO is my new ‘go-to’ choice of lighting – small enough for tight spaces but powerful enough for a multitude of situations. With the built-in CineSFX functions, it can replace otherwise time and budget consuming equipment and bring to the set sophisticated lighting effects which would often have been unaffordable. Cable-free, cool to the touch and light enough to easily hang or hold, the Rotolight NEO really speeds up lighting on set or on location.”

Working together

Rotolight and Sekonic are collaborating on mutual sales and marketing to develop a wider awareness of the importance and need for colour control and accuracy. Yasuko Kuroi (Sekonic Product Manager) was quoted at a recent trade show: “We are very excited to work with Rotolight and we are honoured to be an important part of helping to create better lighting systems.” Sekonic is focused on developing future Photo/CINE/Video products including the recently released C-7000 SpectroMaster for industrial color analysis and monitoring.

Search for Camera Crew

The Guild of Television Camera Professionals is an independent craft organisation supporting and encouraging excellence in all aspects of television camerawork.
Members are professional cameramen and camerawomen who operate
in all areas of broadcasting.

The International Association of Wildlife Film-makers, whose members are professional camera crew earning most of their income from making wildlife films, has been affiliated to the GTC since January 2016.